Li Haochen was not one to wallow in self-pity after encountering a minor setback. Since Huo Ziyan was already aware of the situation, he didn't need to worry about it anymore.
It would likely take two to three hours for rescue to arrive, and just waiting around wasn't ideal, so Li Haochen decided to do some fishing. Time was limited, and he couldn't afford to waste it.
Li Haochen assembled his fishing rod, changed to the appropriate line setup, and plugged in the attached battery. Fortunately, the fishing box came with one; otherwise, he would have had to reel manually.
He attached the bait and cast it out to test the depth, which was only fifteen to sixteen meters, not very deep. He reeled in a meter or two, locked the drag, and waited.
"Whizzzzzz—"
The bait had been in the water for less than a minute when the fishing rod curved, and the fishing line cut through the water with a "hiss."
"Not bad, hooked a fish so quickly."
The electric reel whirred into action, not fast but not slow either. It was only ten-plus meters deep, and within half a minute, the fish was brought out.
Not bad, a sea bass weighing about 3 to 4 catties, which would fetch around 80 HKD per catty here.
He netted the fish and tossed it into the live bait tank, then changed the bait to continue fishing.
"Whizzzzzz—"
"Another one? What number is this?"
As he was thinking, the fish was already brought out. It was a grouper about 30 centimeters long, not very big, weighing a little over two catties.
When he tossed it into the live bait tank, he noticed there were already over 20 fish caught, which was truly not bad.
With his catch growing, the gloomy mood vanished, and he felt quite good.
Just then, a rumbling sound was heard from a distance, likely the arrival of the rescue vessel.
He followed the sound, and the small dot gradually grew larger. Soon, the approaching vessel became clear, and it was indeed the rescue ship.
A few minutes later, the ship stopped a few meters away from Li Haochen and slowly drifted closer. Just as they were about to touch, several people walked out from the rescue boat. Li Haochen was a bit taken aback to see Huo Ziyan among them.
After boarding Li Haochen's boat, Huo Ziyan addressed the people behind her, "Go and check what the problem is."
"Yes, Miss Huo."
These individuals were very efficient. As soon as Huo Ziyan spoke, they quickly ran into the cabin to investigate. Their tasks were clearly divided, and their work was meticulous.
"Mr. Li, I'm truly sorry for this situation. It's a lapse in our work. My apologies."
"Miss Huo, this isn't your fault. There's a saying: blessings or calamities, we cannot escape them if they are destined."
As they were chatting, a man who had been inspecting walked over with a solemn expression and whispered something into Huo Ziyan's ear.
Huo Ziyan's expression changed after hearing him, but she quickly regained her composure. "Mr. Li, the boat has been checked. It has a malfunction, but it cannot be repaired here. However, we have a backup boat, so don't worry. I'll make a call; please wait a moment."
"What?"
Huo Ziyan, who was on the phone, suddenly raised her voice by eight octaves, her shrill tone piercing enough to hurt one's eardrums.
Judging by her gritted teeth and furious glare, it was clear she had received some bad news.
As expected...
"I'm sorry, Mr. Li, but even the backup boat... it also has a malfunction. I..."
Li Haochen wasn't a fool; he could see what was happening. This was clearly intentional sabotage. Perhaps it was aimed at him, or perhaps... at the Huo family.
His mind was racing. The more Li Haochen thought about it, the more he felt the latter was more likely, and he might just be an incidental target.
"Heh, it's fine. Let's just consider it a day off. It should be fixed tomorrow, right?"
"Ah Ming, what do you say?"
"Miss Huo, there's no need for tomorrow. We'll work overtime once we get back and have it fixed before 8 PM."
"Good. You said it yourself. If you manage it, there will be significant rewards. If you don't, you know the consequences."
"Miss Huo, it's okay if it's a bit later. The most important thing is to fix it and not make the same mistake again. I don't want to call you to tow the boat again, hehe!"
As he spoke, two other maintenance personnel had already secured Li Haochen's fishing boat with two thick hemp ropes.
The engine roared to life, and Huo Ziyan and her crew returned to the rescue tugboat. Li Haochen did not go with them; he needed to stay on his fishing boat to steer.
Soon, the rescue tugboat began to move. The larger boat pulling the smaller one likely couldn't go too fast due to the towing, possibly around 10 knots.
Moving at a turtle's pace, slowly but steadily, after nearly four hours of long waiting, they finally returned to Fisherman's Wharf.
As soon as they docked, countless cameras and lenses surrounded them, focusing on Li Haochen and the towed boat number 127, snapping away furiously. It seemed pre-planned, arriving in a hurry and leaving just as quickly, without even asking questions, just taking photos and videos.
Li Haochen was quite annoyed but couldn't do anything about it. He couldn't just curse them out in public. They had the right to take pictures. If he had scolded them, the entire internet would likely be condemning Li Haochen soon.
A few minutes later, that swarm of "kings without crowns" disappeared, leaving only an empty venue and the stationed staff.
"Mr. Li, we'll tow the boat over there for repairs. Please come back at 8 PM tonight, and we'll definitely fix it for you."
"Wait a moment. I need to call them to settle this, hehe!"
With that, Li Haochen walked over and called for the staff.
Half an hour later, the leaderboard showed a change: boat number 127, with 7580 HKD, was temporarily in first place.
This change caused quite a stir. The bets placed on Li Haochen on various platforms were increasing rapidly, exceeding 200,000 and still climbing.
Back at the hotel, Li Haochen lay on the bed, unable to sleep. Bored, he decided to go down to the casino for a stroll.
As he was about to exchange his chips, the topic of conversation among a few people behind him piqued his interest.
"Did you bet on the fishing competition?"
"Don't even mention it. I just saw that boat number 127 had a result, and the odds were high, so I bet 5,000. Damn it, the news online now says this guy's boat had to be repaired. I'm screwed."
"I also bet 6,000 on that guy. The competition is only three days in, and he's already out for a day. What's the point? It's worse than sinking..."
After a moment's thought, Li Haochen decided to head to the betting station on the second floor to investigate.
Upon arriving, he was shocked. The odds had actually risen to 99? And the amount bet had reached tens of millions?
Li Haochen thought he was mistaken, so he rubbed his eyes and looked again. It was correct; he had been marked with odds of 99 to 1. This time, he couldn't sit still anymore; vast sums of money were beckoning him.
He then called Huo Ziyan and asked, "Miss Huo, I have a question. If I win a lot of money from betting on the competition, will I be able to collect it?"